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Chemical flares have long been a necessary evil. They save lives by drawing attention to traffic accidents and emergencies, but they also have a nasty habit of starting fires and polluting the environment. The PowerFlare PF-200 Safety Light ($45) improves on its flammable counterparts in almost every way. It uses a 360-degree LED array with seven flash patterns (blinking, rotating, SOS, etc.), and its replaceable lithium battery has a shelf life of 10 years and a blink time of up to 100 hours. Plus, its utility extends beyond highway breakdowns; it is also watertight to 300 ft., making it a perfect scuba accessory.

FEATURES

• TOUGHNESS - Built to military spec; it can be run over by a firetruck.

We're not exactly sure what an ergonomist does, but it must involve a lot of typing. Microsoft's new Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 is "ergonomist approved" and sculpted into a wrist-friendly shape. It is split down the middle at 12 degrees, bulged, and tilted on a reverse slope to combat the evil scourge of carpal tunnel syndrome. $65; www.microsoft.com/hardware

Out on the boat, there are three elements that the fisherman needs protection from: wind, water and fish guts. The Guy Cotten SuperKodiak Sweater is made with Polartec Wind Pro, which cuts chilly gusts by 95 percent, and has neoprene cuffs and PVC lining on the sleeves and belly so that water stays out and slime washes off. $92; www.guycottenusa.com

What could possibly be more useful than a roll of duct tape? How's about a really big roll of duct tape? Big Fix duct tape dispenses a 12-in.-wide sheet of nearly indestructible adhesive-backed fabric from a 30-ft. roll. It comes with a slide cutter that can trim the sheet to any size. $25; www.tycoadhesives.com

Lead a Dog to Water

Dogs don't think twice about drinking out of a toilet, so it may not matter much to Fido if his water bowl is dirty. But drinking dead flies and leaves really isn't good for his health. WaterDog is a proximity-activated fountain for your pooch that turns water on automatically when he approaches. $79; www.scatmat.com

Think of the Plantraco Butterfly Living Room Flyer as an incredibly overengineered paper airplane. Constructed of a balsa frame, a carbon-fiber propeller, tissuelike paper and a tiny circuit board, it is billed as the lightest radio-controlled plane in the world at only 0.13 ounces. The Butterfly is powered by a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery with magnetic terminals that keep it in place. The extremely fragile plane comes in a foam-packed aluminum carrying case. (Though we found that it held up to some pretty nasty crashes out of its case.) To be safe, Plantraco includes a bottle of glue. $239; www.plantraco.com

The Timex O.V.A. (optimal viewing angle) watch doesn't just tell time, it saves time. With the face positioned on the side of the wrist, athletes don't have to waste a moment twisting their arms to see the readout. Features include a 100-hour chronograph, 75-lap memory, big buttons and easy-to-read numbers. Plus, it tells time. $70; www.timex.com

With modern radials and run-flats, it's hard to tell at a glance if your tire pressure is running dangerously low. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has mandated that all vehicles be outfitted with tire-pressure monitoring systems by model year 2006. Most carmakers use data from the antilock brake system to keep tabs on overall tire psi, but Pirelli has a more high-tech approach for the aftermarket. Coming next summer, Pirelli's X-Pressure AcousticBlue tire-valve sensors (around $200 for a complete system) can automatically relay low pressures to Bluetooth-enabled cellphones. Plus, the sensor can automatically seal its valve in case of a leak.

Such a simple device, the twist can opener. Invented in 1858 (48 years after the tin can), it was refined into its common shape in 1925, and has pretty much stayed the same ever since. But the Orbi SafeCut from Good Cook has evolved the age-old SpaghettiOs opener to a new level. The Orbi grabs the edge of your can as you twist and cuts through the outside of the bead, leaving the severed lid resting on top of the can with no sharp edges. $16; www.goodcook.com

The Craftsman Speed Multiplying Ratcheting Screwdriver is a tool with multiple personalities. With all of its locks engaged, it is an ordinary screwdriver. When you want to force in your fastener without losing your grip, you can switch to ratcheting mode. In speed mode, a planetary gearset delivers 3-1/2 turns of the screw for every turn of the handle. Also, there's a compartment in the handle that holds a magazine with up to eight extra bits. $20; www.craftsman.com

Electric toothbrushes have been buzzing, spinning and scouring our teeth in various ways for years, but the HydraBrush is the first to clean top and bottom teeth simultaneously. The rechargeable toothbrush uses two heads that surround and scrub your choppers while massaging your gums. $109; www.hydrabrush.com

Gas-powered scooters are commonly seen weaving through city traffic, but they're not usually found climbing over rocks. The 43-pound Go-Ped Trail Ripper 40 aims to change the perception of scooters from commuter toy to hardcore off-road machine. Equipped with a 41.5cc 4-hp two-stroke engine, 11-in. knobby tires, disc brakes and a unique "linkless" swing-arm suspension system, the Trail Ripper has up to 6 in. of wheel travel front and rear. $1149; www.goped.com

We walked into CompUSA and bought a perfectly good Sony PlayStation Portable ($250). Then we tried our best to destroy it.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY BURCU AVSAR

WE DROPPED IT

The PSP is so pretty, we almost took pity and dropped it in its protective neoprene case, but we decided against special treatment. When it hit the concrete, its battery and game disc popped out, but the PSP still booted and played games.

WE STEPPED ON IT

We expected the PSP's 4.3-in. screen to crack when our test torturer walked over it, but it stayed intact. In fact, the PSP didn't even stop playing while under our boot heel.

WE DROWNED IT

When we dunked it in water for 15 seconds, the PSP instantly turned off (as do most of our test subjects). We gave it three days to dry out, and were excited to see that it powered on. But alas, the boot-up screen had turned from blue to an unseemly shade of red and the games refused to load.

With all of the PSP's moving parts, buttons and compartments, we were amazed that it made it as far as it did. Sony's designers created a device tough enough to take a few knocks--nice for when game play gets especially rowdy.

BACKYARD LAB TEST

Making the Cut

We pitted three types of chain saws--and one old-fashioned bow saw--against three hunks of wood to find the perfect balance between simplicity and raw power.

The ultimate in simplicity, the Fiskars 30-in. bow saw is 2-1/2 ft. of toothy blade attached to a lightweight tubular steel handle. Dirt-cheap, time-tested and virtually preparation-free, this saw uses manual reciprocating technology to slowly but surely sever branches—no cords, batteries or gas required. There's something incredibly gratifying about cutting with this saw, although the gratification tends to wane in direct proportion to the size of the cutting task. Still, for simple pruning jobs, this is the saw I'd reach for every time.

RYOBI ONE+ CORDLESS

2 seconds

14 seconds

Still waiting …

PRICE:$60

POWERED BY:18-volt battery.

BEST FOR:Throwing a good scare into raspberry whips.

Donning safety gear to use this little saw feels a bit like wearing a helmet to ride your kid's tricycle. Still, this 18-volt saw could write you a quick ticket to the ER, so don't be fooled. Don't be fooled, either, into thinking you're going to do any serious woodcutting with this puppy. Unlike many 18-volt cordless power tools, the Ryobi One+ chain saw is a poor approximation of its ancestor. Kudos to Ryobi for stretching the utility of its 18-volt batteries, but one has to wonder if this saw is the answer to a question no one asked.

HUSQVARNA 316 ELECTRIC

2 seconds

4 seconds

7 seconds

PRICE:$230

POWERED BY:

15-amp electric motor.

BEST FOR:Moderate firewood cutting and pruning.

How well this saw works for you depends entirely upon how far away your woodpile is from your electrical outlets. There's no gas/oil mix to deal with (though you'll still need chain oil), but uncoiling a superlong extension cord is its own can of worms, particularly if your woodpile is more than, say, 100 ft. from a power source. (Husky says that's the maximum recommended cord length.) Otherwise, it's a surprisingly capable saw that's wonderfully light and easy to haul around. It's just too bad it comes with a tether.

STIHL MS 250 C

1 second

2 seconds

4 seconds

PRICE:$340

POWERED BY:

3-hp gas engine.

BEST FOR:Light tree-felling and serious firewood cutting.

In one sense, Stihl's MS 250 C is a traditional, light-duty homeowner's chain saw. That means you're gonna get your hands dirty mixing gas and oil. But the MS 250 C has a few modern surprises. Stihl's Easy2Start system uses two springs to avoid a lot of pointless yanking and shoulder strain—just gently pull the cord to its full extension, let 'er go and the saw fires on the rewind. Brilliant. As is the flip-out, twisting, toolfree chain tensioner. It's a stretch to call any chain saw "convenient," but this one comes darn close.